Summary of Discussion (so far) on 24hr Reference Provision
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Main summary of this email is located in ELITE Project Feature
Section: http://www.le.ac.uk/li/distance/eliteproject/feature.html
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion!
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Demand for 24hr services are evolving at lightning speed. With increased
access to electronic sources of information, the service support/reference
needs of library users are likely to change too.
For example: what if approx 20% of online index, full text database and
electronic journals usually takes place between 11:00 pm and 8:00 am (when
Libraries are normally closed). These users may be both on-campus (some
battling huge time zones) and off-campus students, who are taking advantage
of the already existing 24 hour service provided in Web based access to
databases, electronic journals... Arguably, there is a case for introducing
complementary reference / information services during that same time.
Summary of post from Joanne Smyth [[log in to unmask]]
How can Libraries:
[1] Around the world collaborate to cover relevant time zones?
[2] Support their service provision aim to off campus students, life long
learners etc with the same staff and resource levels?
[3] Achieve support by phone, fax, email, chat...
[4] How would copyright, database and ejournal licenses impact on
development of such services??
There are two distinct sides to this issue. Technology and collaboration
between libraries will certainly help libraries extend reference to 24hrs,
but there's also the low-tech, if expensive, answer of hiring more staff.
Examples of projects, services and ideas are provided below:
VIRTUAL 24HR REFERENCE SERVICE
Virtual Reference Desk
The Virtual Reference Desk (VRD) is a project dedicated to the advancement
of digital reference and the successful creation and operation of
human-mediated, Internet-based information systems.
URL: http://www.vrd.org
A Thought...
The targeted group of users here is not academic/research users but K-12
users. As these students begin to graduate from high schools and begin to
enrol in higher education institutions what will their reaction be when they
discover 24hr reference is not readily available?
from TJ Lusher [[log in to unmask]]
Collaborative Digital Reference Service Project, Library of Congress
The Collaborative Digital Reference Service is a pilot project intended to
provide professional library-quality reference service to users any time
anywhere, through an international digital network of libraries. Pilot
phases are planned and the institutions involved include public, academic,
and national libraries. Other institutions outside the United States that
have expressed interest are from Ireland, Italy, England, Singapore, Hong
Kong, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Sara Weissman [[log in to unmask]]
"I'm a member of the international partners working group, so anyone
interested! please let me know..or ask your questions!"
URL: http://www.loc.gov/rr/digiref/cdrshome.html
REGION WIDE VIRTUAL 24HR REFERENCE
Pennsylvania, U.S.: Virtual Information Desk (VID)
An evening and weekend service to help students, faculty and staff of the 14
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities with library
research. Users submit questions via a Web form or toll free number.
Hours: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., Sunday through Thursday and various times
throughout the weekend (until Sunday night)
URL: http://vid.sshe.edu/
TRADITIONAL REFERENCE 24HRS
The very costly alternative:
NCSU Libraries
At the D.H. Hill Library at NC State, the traditional reference desk is
staffed 24 hours a day. Several librarians work late shifts -- 7-11 and 9-1
-- and one librarian works the graveyard shift 1 am - 9 am Sunday through
Thursday. The late and graveyard shift librarians are able to check the
email reference account occasionally during the night to make sure email
questions, no matter when they arrive, are answered promptly.
Hours: Sunday 9:00 a.m. with 24-hour service until Friday, 10:00 p.m. and
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
URL: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/index.html
LIBRARIES INTERESTED IN COLLABORATION
[1] Tampa Campus Library, University of South Florida
Ilene Frank (Email: [log in to unmask])
[2] Suffolk (NY) Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Edana McCaffery Cichanowicz (Email: [log in to unmask])
[3] University of Winnipeg, Canada
Mark Leggott, University Librarian (Email: [log in to unmask])
"interested in partnering with someone here in the middle of Canada"
LIBRARIES LOOKING INTO 24HR REFERENCE PROJECTS
[1] Open University, UK
Gill Needham (Email: [log in to unmask])
[2] Universitas 21 group
http://test.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/universitas21_old/index.html
[3] Slavic Reference Service, Main Library, University of Illinois
Helen Sullivan (Email: [log in to unmask])
"We are a Slavic reference agency and have an excellent contact at the
Jagiellonian Library in Krakow who is willing to work with us. So far we
have had a lot of snags. She is going to visit us this summer and we will
let you know. Our campus was only able to offer real time reference
software for campus users and most of our clientele are off campus. We have
a workshop for Slavic scholars here every summer which has a component for
Slavic librarians. This summer we will have a librarian from Russia as well
as the Polish librarian. Between the three of us we are hoping to come up
with something."
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Ms Danielle Hinton
ELITE Project Officer
University of Leicester,
University Library
PO Box 248, University Road,
Leicester LE1 9QD, UK.
Telephone: +44 (0) 116 252 5087
Fax: +44 (0) 116 252 2066.
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
WWW: http://www.le.ac.uk/li/distance/index.htm
ELITE: http://www.le.ac.uk/li/distance/eliteproject/index.htm
"The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever."
Isaiah 40:8
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